Tension device for strip-serving machines



Feb; 13, 1923., v W.'D. KIMBALL.

TENSION DEVICE FOR STRIP SERVING MACHINES.

FILED JULY 15, I920.

.l mlh'll I l Inventor T all whom it may concern:

atented lFeb. is, was.

WALLACE D. KIMBALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.-,' ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

T0 NASHUA. GUMMED & COATED PAPER COMPALTI, OF NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

TENSION DEVICE OR s'rn rr-snnvme ACHINES.

Application filed July 15,

Be it known that I, WALLACE .D. KIMBALL, a citizen of the United States, and a-resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Im-' provements in Tension Devices for Strip- Serving Machines, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to tension dBVlCGS:

for paper webs, particularly for use in}.

gummed tape-serving machines where the gummed tape is supplied in the form of a roll and drawn through the molstening apparatus and cut off in the desired lengths for use.

In such machines the weight of the roll is depended upon to provide the necessary resistance to the feeding movement of the tape for the pull on it to press the tape against the moistening roll with the necessary ressure to effect the absorption of the moisture by the gummed surface. Whenthe rolls are of full size, or substantially so, the weight is sufficientto secure a proper moistening of the tape, butas the roll decreases in size its weight does not afford sufiicient resistance to cause the necessary pressure between the gummed surface-and the moistening roll to secure a satisfactory moistening of thegum.

In machines as generally built to-day some means are provided to put an addi-- tional pressure on the reel of tape to add to the resistance to the feed, but these devices are not altogether satisfactory for if the pressure is fixed and suflicient to cause a proper gumming and moistening of the tape when the roll is small, the additional pressure of the weight of the full roll will make the machine difficult of operation, while if adjustment of the device must be effected from time to tinie as the roll is completed, it will be neglected by the average operator until his attention is called to the need of "adjustment by defective operation of the machine f The object of the present inventioncis toprovide a tension device for the paper. which adds but little to the resistance of the-paper feed when the roll is large, but becomes effective as the roll grows smaller, and hence without adjustment will at all. times maintain the necessary tension of the web to insure its proper moistening. In the accompanying drawings I have 1920. .Serial no. 396,363.

to a stripservin machine of very simple design, but it wi of course be obvious that it is-equa'lly applicable to strip-serving machines of all kinds and to web feeds generally where a more or less uniform tension on the web is desired- In the said drawings,

Figure l is a vertical section on line l-l of Fig. 2 of a strip-serving machine provided' with m improved tension device;

Fig. 2 is a p an View of the machine shown in Fig. I

Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal section of a' machine showing the efi'ect of different size reelson the tension device; and

;Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 44 of Fig. 1. i

Referring to the, drawings, particularly to Fig. 1, 1' indicates the frame or body of the. strip-serving machine which, as shown, comprises a trough-shaped receptacle hava partition 2 near oneend to divide ofithe water-containing compartment 3 from the rear portion in which the roll 4 of gummed tape is placed. 3

A moistening roll 5 of unglazed porcelain, metal or other suitable material is freely supported in the water compartment 3 in bearing notches in the edges of the tank and t the rear of the moistening roll is a knife 6 consistingof a bar having a vertical part screwed or riveted to the side, of the, water tank and a horizontal part with a serrated edge extending across the machine and of sufficient height above the planeof the paper" to leave a projecting end of the strip when the desired length is cut off by pulling the strip up against the knife. 4

The rear end of the paper compartment of the body is curved to form a support for the roll 4 which is wound with its gummed surface on' the inside, the roll being placed in the machine so that the tape is drawn off the top ofthe roll in the manner shown.

Between the roll-holding part of the body and the water tank the-machine is provided with a paper guiding top plate 7 across size between the plate 9 and the end of the compartment. The plate 9 overlies the rear end of the fixed guide plate 7 and is connected. to it by bolts 10 passing through both plats adjacent their side edges and also near the front edge of the plate 9. Springs 11 are fitted on the bolts 10 between the under side of the plate 7 and the nuts 12 on the ends of the bolts whereby the plate 9 is held with a light yielding pressure against the plate 7. he rear edges of the plates 9 and 7 are bent upwardly and downwardly, respectively, in the manner shown, to' allow the tape to enter freely between theplates at differentangles from difi'erent size rolls, as apparent from the drawing.

The operation of my improved tension device will now be described; In Fig. 1- a roll of :full size is shown in position in the machine. As the free end of the strip is drawn off from the upper side of the roll it is threaded across the .plate 7 under, the

7 plates 9 and 8 and thence across the moistening rol1 5. When the operator desires to use-a piece of tape he draws upon the free end of the roll until the desired length] is drawn oil, the pull on the top being in a.

slight downward direction to press its moistening surface. against the" roll 5. .Unless there is a certain amount of tension on the web the pull on the tape will not press its gummed surface against the moistening roller hard'enough to insure the penetration of the moisture into the gum on its surface.

When the roll is large, the weight of the roll and its friction on the bottom of the trough is sufiicient. .Hence it is desirable that the tension device apply little pressure to the paper when the fresh roll is put in the machine. The tension applied by my.

improved tens-ion device is due chiefly to the friction .of the gummed face of the tape against theplate'? which, even though the springs 11 belight, is quite appreciable when the plate 9 isnot lifted from the plate-7. When the roll is large, how'ever,.the'-paper comes off the roll at quite an angle to' the plane of the paper across the plate 7, that is, the bent edge of the plate 9 lies in what may be termed a loop of the paper web so as to be raised by the first pull on the paper as. resisted by the inertia ofrthe roll to movement. As springs 11- are very light, a light pull when the angle of the paper leaving the roll to the plane of the guide plate is large will lift the plate 9 out of cont-act with the plate ,7, allowing the paper to be drawn freely forward save for the light friction of the smooth face of the paper against the plate 9.

" As the roll diminishes in size the angle of the length ofpaper leaving the roll to the plane of the plate 7 becomesless and less, so that its lifting effect for the same pull on the tape is lessened, thus compensating for the diminishing weight of the roll. When the roll is reduced to the size shown in Fig. 3 where its weight is insignificant, the paper will have no lifting effect on the plate 9, consequently the full force of the springs 11 will press the gummed face of the tape against the plate 7, applying sufficient tension to the web to insure its proper gumming, which friction will be maintained until the roll is completely exhaustedn My improved tension device adds little to the cost of the machine. rially lessens the cost where substituted for any one of the various tension devices for In fact, it mateadding pressure to the face of the tape reel.

l have shown my tension device applied to the simplest form of tape-serving apparatus, but it will be understood that it may be applied with equal advantage to other forms of apparatus,-for instance motor-operated machinesand measuring machines and also to labeling machines, box-covering machines and various other types of machines where similar advantages are desired.

I claim:

1. In a strip serving machine, the combination of means for supporting the roll, and

resilient means adjacent thereto for applying frictional resistance to the movement of the web during the serving of a strip, said means being so arranged with relation to the. roll of material that the frictional resistance applied thereby is greater when the size of the roll is small.

2. In a tension device for paper webs, the 1m combination of means for supporting the roll, and movable means adjacent thereto for applying frictional resistance to the "move;

ment of the web, said meansbeing controlled 'by the angle of the paper leaving the web in such manner that the frictional resistance applied thereby 'is greater when the size of the roll is'smalh V 3. llnra tension device for paper webs,

means for supporting a paper roll, a guide;

for the paper to direct-the same radially away from the roll in a plane substantially in line with the center of the roll, and a tension member engaging said paper to press it against said guide, the said member being arranged tobe liftedby the stretch of paper between tlieroll and the guide to lessenthe resistance of the tension device when the roll is large.

4:. In a tension device for strip-serving apparatus, the combination of a roll holder, led

moistening means for the gummed paper strip, a guide extending from the roll to said moistening means, and having a surface against which the gummed surface of the paper strip is drawn and a member for pressingthe gummed surface of the strip against the guide surface, said member overlying the paper strip adjacent the roll Whereby it will be lifted more or less to relievethe pressure on the paper by the length of paper leading from the roll to said guide.

5. In a strip serving machine the combination of means for freely supporting a roll of strip material and'means adjacent thereto for applying frictional resistance to the movement of the strip during the serving thereof comprising a guiding plate having a surface across which one surface of the strip is drawn and a tension member engaging the opposite surface of said strip to press the strip against said plate, said member being adapted to be lifted by the run of the strip thereby to lesseii the frictional resistance appliedthereto When the roll is large.

6. In a strip serving machine the combination of means for freely supporting a roll of strip material and means adjacent thereto for applying frictional resistance to' the movement of the strip during the serving thereof comprising a plurality of friction surfaces of different lengths past which the strip is drawn, andarranged to be brought successively into functioning relation therewith as the size of the roll diminishes whereby the frictional resistance to the movement of the strip is increased when the roll is small. v

' 7. In a strip serving machine the combination of means for freely supporting aroll of strip material and means adjacent thereto for applying frictional resistance to the movement of the strip during the serving thereof comprising a plurality of friction surfaces of different lengths past which the strip is drawn, the shorter only of said surfaces having contact with the strip when the roll is large and both of said surfaces contacting the strip when the roll is relatively small thereby to increase the frictional resistance to the movement of the strip at such "times Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 29th day of May, 1919..

WALLACE D. KIMBALL. 

